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Big play gives Craig boost over Parker

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Craig Parker Softball

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JANESVILLE — If nothing beats a three-run homer then turning a sharp 5-3-2 double play under intense pressure has to rank a close second.

Janesville Craig High School softball coach Dan Bayreuther might have driven home from Dawson Field repeating “5-3-2” over and over to himself in the wake of the Cougars’ thrilling 5-4 Big Eight Conference victory over crosstown rival Janesville Parker on Monday.

“What a finish,” Bayreuther said with a sigh of relief.

Craig’s Kelly Lyke ripped a two-run single bases-loaded single in the bottom of the seventh with no outs to decide the thriller.

The first meeting between Craig and Parker was nip and tuck all the way.

The Vikings took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Craig scored single runs in the first, third and fourth innings to take a 3-2 lead and Parker added two runs in the fifth for a 4-3 lead.

In the decisive seventh, the top of the Vikings’ batting order was poised to blow the game open.

Parker’s Kelly Koebler ripped her third hit, a thread-the-needle single between Craig shortstop Felicia Zajicek and third baseman Anna Fagerli.

Koebler was sacrificed to second and moved to third when Carol Anne Maveety was called safe at first on a Craig throwing error. Maveety moved into scoring position on catcher’s indifference.

With Parker runners perched on second and third, Alex Klawitter hit a smash that Fagerli, fielded cleanly to set the double play in motion.

Fagerli threw a strike to Abby Geiger at first base to cut down Klawitter. Geiger turned and threw a laser to catcher Gabrielle Cassady, who tagged a sliding Koebler in a close play at the plate to end Parker’s threat and the inning.

“That was awesome,” Bayreuther said of Craig’s must-have double play.

Fagerli knew it was up her to give a Craig a boost.

“I knew I had to get the ball and throw it to first,” said Fagerli, who stroked an RBI double to tie the game 2-2 in the third. “You’ve just got to keep your head in the game and be ready for anything.’’

Fresh off the big play, Cassidy hit a sharp single off Parker starting pitcher Mary Cate Tracey to start the bottom of the seventh. Geiger dumped a bloop single into short right field and Fagerli drew a walk to load the bases.

Lyke stroked a 1-2 pitch to left to end the game.

“I was just looking for something I could hit,” Lyke said. “There were no outs. If there were outs, then I would have been nervous.’’

Parker coach Dyann Riley could only shake her at the turn of events.

Klawitter’s two-out over-the-shoulder catch on Lykes’ drive to center with Craig runners in scoring position in the first inning stood as the game-saver until the Cougars’ clutch twin killing.

“That was the game right there,” Riley said of Klawitter’s heroic catch. “That would have been the game-winner right there.’’

Bayreuther thought Klawitter’s catch would be damaging.

“Alex Klawitter made a heck of a catch,” Bayreuther said. “We would have gone up two at that time.”

Craig answered six innings later.

“I thought Kelly (Koebler) put a good slide in there,” Riley said of Koebler’s scoring attempt. “I trust Kelly’s speed. I thought we made the right call by going.’’

Bailie Whittaker, Craig’s freshman starting pitcher, allowed four runs on 10 hits and did not allow a walk for the victory. Tracey went the distance for Parker, allowing five runs on 10 hits, while posting six strikeouts and two walks.

“It was just a battle,” Riley said. “It was an awesome, awesome game.’’

CRAIG 5, PARKER 4

Parker (ab-r-h-rbi)—Koebler, 3b, 4-2-4-0; Fiedler, 2b, 3-2-2-1; Maveety, lf, 2-0-1-0; Klawitter, cf, 3-0-0-0; Benash, ss, 3-0-2-2; Kluge, c, 2-0-0-0; Muhlenkamp, dh, 3-0-0-0; Mayfield, rf, 3-0-1-0; Lillburn, ph-rf, 1-0-0-0; Newlin, 2-0-0-0; Meehan, 1-0-0-0. Totals: 28-4-10-4.

Craig (ab-r-h-rbi)—Mortensen, lf, 3-1-2-0; Gohlke, rf, 4-2-2-0; Cassady, c, 3-1-2-0; Geiger, c, 3-1-1-0; Fagerli, 3b, 3-0-1-1; Lyke, cf, 4-0-1-2; Sullivan, dh, 4-0-1-0; Zajicek, ss, 2-0-0-0; Oliver, 3-0-0-0. Totals: 29-5-10-3.

Janesville Parker 200 002 0—4

Janesville Craig 101 100 2—5

E—Craig 2. LOB—Parker 4, Craig 6. 2B—Koebler, Fagerli. S—Klawitter, Fiedler, Cassady.

` IP H R ER BB SO

Parker

Tracey 7 10 5 4 2 6

Craig

Whittaker 7 10 4 3 1 0